Background-support.



J. A. HOLMES.

BACKGROUND SUPPORT.

APPLIOATION FILED 13110.26, 1907.

91 6,3 1 6 Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

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JOHANNES ALEXIUS HOLMES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

B ACKGROUND-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented :March 23, 1909.

Application led December 26, 1907. Serial No. 408,051.

To all whom it may concer Be it known that I, Joitaxxiis imxiiis HOLMES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Background-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in holders for interchangeable backgrounds, and consists of a frame adapted to compact-ly hold a number of screens or aprons.

More particularly the object of my invention is to provide a iframe with two rollers mounted therein and a long strip oit flexible sheeting wound upon said rollers, and with various decorations or linishes along its length. These are to be used as backgrounds or scenes in photographic work. However, my invention is not limited to this purpose, but provides a suitable support for the plurality of interchangeable curtains, and may be used in a variety of ways, of which that mentioned is only an example.

Referring to the drawings-Figure 1 is a front View; Fig. 2 a longitudinal section of' the roller shown at the bottom of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 an axial section of the sprocket wheels shown at the right of' Fig. l; and Fig. '-l a transverse sect-ion, taken on line il of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow.

The members 12, 13, let and 15 constitute a rectangular frame, the member 1Q being the base, and the t'rame standing vertically on this base. At the top and bottom of this frame are the respective rollers 1G and 17, with their bearings in the side members 13 The bottom roller 17 is loosely mounted on the shaft 18, and to this shaft there is keyed a sprocket wheel 19. The coil spring 20 wrapped about the shaft 1S has one end attached to said shaft and the other end attached to the roller 1T. Gn the upper roller 16 there is fixed a sprocket wheel 21.

` At the middle ot the height of' the vertical member 15 is mounted a crank 22, having fixed thereon a sprocket wheel 2S and loosely mounted thereon another sprocket Wheel 24. Between these two sprocket Wheels 28 and 24 is a spiral spring 25, having its inner end attached to the small central collar which forms a part of wheel 23, and having its outer end attached to the flange on Wheel 24. A chain 26 unites the sprocket Wheels 19 and 23, and another chain 27 unites the sprocket wheels 21 and The shaft 22 carries a crank 2S with its handle Q9. `Witli its ends wrapped about the rollers 16 and 17 vthe strip of fabric or other flexible sheet material extends tightly between said rollers. This sheet il() has various scenes and ornamental mattei' distributed along its length.

.B v turning the handle 29, the various backgrounds distributed along the flexible sheet 30 may be successively brought in position -l'or use. The springs 2O and 25 permit compensation for the varying and unecpial etl'ective size of the rollers 16 and i?. Both oit these springs are so adjusted at the outset that the tendency of either or both oit' them is to keep the sheet 30 on a tension. A. little consideration will show that their tension is a minimum when the sheet 3() is equally distributed on the two rollers ll' and '17, and that as the handle 29 is rotated in either direction from this median position, `the tension of the springs is somewhat increased. Of course they are so designed as to permit extreme movement ot the sheet 30 from one roller to the other. The function of the two springs 2O and 25 is the saine, and either one alone may be used, provided it has sulflcient capacity. The use of both springs increases the capacity. it will be noted that the handle 29 is placed at about the middle of the height of the apparatus, thus being in a more con veulent position than it would be at either end. It may be desirable to make the bearing adjustable for one end of the roller 16. For this purpose l have shown the shaft at one end of roller 10 as being carried by the bearing 31. This can be adjusted up and down by means o't' the wing nut lt will be seen that l have provided a traine capable of holding compactly a long strip ot flexible sheet material, and which permits the presentation of any part thereof and the rapid change from one part to another. The unequal speed of rotation of the rollers 16 and 17 is compensated by the means disclosed.

l claim l. ln combination, a frame, two rollers mounted therein, a flexible sheet having its ends respectively attached to said rollers, and mechanism connecting the rollers, said mechanism comprising means to keep said sheet tightly stretched.

2, ln combination, a frame, two rollers mounted therein, a flexible sheethaving its ends respectively attached to said rollers, and mec ianism connecting the rollers, said mechanism comprising a yielding elastic nen'iber.

3. ln combination, a rectangular frame, tivo parallel rollers mounted therein, aflexible sheet having its ends respectively attached to said rollers, and mechanism connecting the rollers, said mechanism comprising a yielding elastic member.

ln combination, a frame, tvvo rollers mounted therein, a flexible sheet having its ends respectively attached to said rollers, a driving Wheel loosely mounted on one of said rollers vwith an elastic connection thereto, and mechanism connecting said driving Wheel with the other roller.

5. .ln combination, frame, two rollers mounted therein, a flexible sheet having its ends respectively attached to said rollers, crank mounted on the frame iviti sprocket Wheels on the shaft thereof, other sprocket Wheels on the respective rollers, and chains connecting them to the rst-mentioned sprocket Wheels.

G. ln combination, a frame, two rollers mounted therein, a flexible sheet having its ends respectively attached to said rollers, a crank mounted in the frame, a fixed and a loose sprocket n'heel on said crank, and driving connections therefron'i to the respective rollers.

7. ln combination, a traine, two rollers monnted therein, a HeXible sheet having its ends respectively attached to said rollers, a crank mounted in the frame, a fixed and a loose sprocket Wheel having a yielding elastic connection between them, and driving connections therefrom to the respective rollers.

8. ln combination, a frame, two rollers mounted therein, a flexible sheet having its ends respectively attached to said rollers; a xed sprocket Wheel on one roller, and a spring-connected sprocket Wheel on the other roller, a crank shaft having a fixed sprocket and a spring connected sprocket thereon, a chain connecting the fixed Wheel of the crank shaft to the sprocket Wheel of the and another chain connecting the spfin '-connccted sprocket Wheelof the crank shaft. to the xed sprocket Wheel of the roller.

9. ln combination, a frame, two rollers ,.'ioiilnted therein, a flexible sheet having its ends respectively attached to said rollers, a. crank, and driving connections therefrom to rollers, said connections beino independroller and the shaft, and driving inechan-y isnL coimecting` the sha 't to the other roller independently of the flexible sheet.

lf2. ln combination, a traine, two rollers nnted therein, a flexible sheet having its ends respectively attached to said rollers, a crank shaft having a sprocket Wheel fixed thereon, a loose si rocket Wheel also mounted on said shaft, a spiral spring between the tivo said sprocket 1gvheels and having its ends connected respectively thereto, and driving connections from said sprocket Wheels to the respective rollers.

.lll HANNES A LllXlUS HOLMES.

lllitnesses t Giro. L. lNimriNsoN, LILLIAN KIBBY. 

